Blecko Anders

The man who carried the oldest melodies across the centuries

Blecko Anders Olsson — known to most as Blickus — was born in 1831 and lived to the age of 91, passing away in 1922.

By trade he was a shoemaker, but it is as a fiddler that he is remembered. He is the man who carried the oldest melodies across the centuries and kept them alive for generations to come.

Blickus could be a difficult man. When a young fiddler approached him — or worse, one of those who wanted to transcribe his tunes — he might deliberately play them wrong, sending the eager visitor away none the wiser.

Yet the respect he commanded as a fiddler was immense. Sometimes he would arrive unannounced at a dance, violin in hand. When that happened, the fiddler already playing would quietly pack up his instrument and step aside — leaving the floor to the master.

His work as a shoemaker often took him on long journeys on foot, not least to Hälsingland. He always brought his violin, and along the way he built up a vast repertoire. This is also why many of the tunes associated with Blickus carry traces of the Hälsinge musical dialect.

Fortunately, younger fiddlers such as Gössa Anders managed to earn Blickus' trust — and through them, this treasure of folk melodies was carried safely into modern times.